Sheep bolus

[johnflimston]

Tested some ewes for trace elements, copper ok,borderline cobalt and selenium still waiting on iodine but historically always low. What's the best make of bolus to but. ( looking for ease of application and efficacy rather than cheapest)

 

[LAMBCHOPS]

Animax bolus


two tracesure bolus one selenium an iodine one straight cobalt .administer when flushing and secondly pre lambing.happy with increased conception rates

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

Mayo boluses easy to administer.

 

[Aspiring Peasants]

Have used a few different types over the years and have settled for Mayo 4 in 1. Have similar trace element issues.

 

[emd]

I find Mayo really easy to administer I am not sure on efficacy as yet but that might be my timing pre tupping as always drilling corn ! so making an effort this year to Bolus month before tups go out instead of a week !! Thinking of doing my own trail with few blouses and blood tests but then blood tests have there own issues !!

 

[neilo]

I don’t find any of them effective at supplementing Iodine, regardless of their stated content. I see a lift in the condition of my bolused sheep when I give a potassium iodide drench, so clearly not getting enough from diet and bolus. Plan this year is an iodised peanut oil injection and a bolus pre-tupping, with another bolus with pre-lambing jabs.

Belt and braces approach this year, with the aim being fitter ewes coming through the winter, carrying more lambs and lower lamb losses. Target is 300 extra lambs to sell next year....

As far as bolus choice is concerned, Mayo and Animax are the easiest to give (Animax need copper capsule separate though, if you need it), and the bigger Agrimin Smarttrace is a pig to give by comparison. I have a feeling that the Agrimin ones may be more effective though.

 

[unlacedgecko]

I'm using tracesure this year. Used Carrs billington last year.

Have administered mayo and agrimin for customers. Haven't really noticed a difference in ease of application tbh

 

[Downtrodden Dad]

For ease of dosing I find mayo the best, carrs own by far the worst, at a meeting organised by carrs quite a few said they were terrible to administer adding up to several thousand sheep. The rep wouldn't listen to our experience. Hey ho.

 

[yellowbelly]

Just putting this here for a size comparison...........
.

TOP Agrimin 24/7 (Didn't have one left but they're about the same size as that bit of 12 bore cartridge.)

MIDDLE Agrimin lamb boluses (you give them 2 each)

BOTTOM ACT (similar analysis to Agrimin 24/7)

 

[neilo]

Just putting this here for a size comparison...........
.

TOP Agrimin 24/7 (Didn't have one left but they're about the same size as that bit of 12 bore cartridge.)

MIDDLE Agrimin lamb boluses (you give them 2 each)

BOTTOM ACT (similar analysis to Agrimin 24/7)

That ACT one looks suspiciously like it’s been made by Mayo.

 

[exmoor dave]

Think we've probably used all the various boluses over the years and are back on to Smartrace.

Disclaimer..... I have no evidence to back any of this up, just my gut feeling.

Smartrace.... bit of a pig to administer to smaller ewes, but mules and Suffolks are fine, boluses are for animals 40kg + and I feel they do last the 6mths.
Priced quite well if bought in bulk.

Mayo etc, easy to administer, cheapish, I don't feel they last as long as claimed.

Tracesure, easy to administer, but when I priced up boluses up this year, they were over £1 each!

For lambs, ACT lamb bolus seems quite good but I think the smartrace lamb boluses (2 given) is better but is 4mths (claimed) rather that 6mths (claimed) for the ACT

Edit.... there's also the glass boluses..... used them once..... probably had the same experience as most other folk, nuff said,

 

[yellowbelly]

That ACT one looks suspiciously like it’s been made by Mayo.

I did wonder. They're all packaged up in ACT tubs.
Quite a bit easier to administer to smaller ewes than those '12 bore' ones.

 

[Highland Mule]

Never used boluses, but have a group of about 20 SBF lambs I plan to store until March/April. Would it be worthwhile trying, or is it not worth it for such a small group?

 

[neilo]

Never used boluses, but have a group of about 20 SBF lambs I plan to store until March/April. Would it be worthwhile trying, or is it not worth it for such a small group?

Do you have any deficiencies to supplement for? If so, then yes. How much extra weight would they need to gain to pay back £1 each on a bolus?

 

[andybk]

That ACT one looks suspiciously like it’s been made by Mayo.

and if you open it it has two boluses same as middle one ,

 

[Highland Mule]

Do you have any deficiencies to supplement for? If so, then yes. How much extra weight would they need to gain to pay back £1 each on a bolus?

Good question.

Never blood or forage tested, so no idea of deficiencies. The lambs always improve markedly after a trace drench though, getting that every month or so from weaning in a normal year. Ewes may get something pre-tupping, but otherwise they get the minerals from hard food, which we have to give quite a bit of to combat the weather conditions up here.

Don't mind the £1/bolus cost, but looks like I'll need to be buying a minimum of enough for 100 sheep. Could I use the rest on a group of ewes as a trial? Father had glass boluses many years ago and didn't rate them, but I take it that things have moved on since then. I looked at them at Highland Sheep last year and they all seemed very big to be putting down a lamb's throat, but these seem a bit smaller than I remember from the photo.

 

[neilo]

Good question.

Never blood or forage tested, so no idea of deficiencies. The lambs always improve markedly after a trace drench though, getting that every month or so from weaning in a normal year. Ewes may get something pre-tupping, but otherwise they get the minerals from hard food, which we have to give quite a bit of to combat the weather conditions up here.

Don't mind the £1/bolus cost, but looks like I'll need to be buying a minimum of enough for 100 sheep. Could I use the rest on a group of ewes as a trial? Father had glass boluses many years ago and didn't rate them, but I take it that things have moved on since then. I looked at them at Highland Sheep last year and they all seemed very big to be putting down a lamb's throat, but these seem a bit smaller than I remember from the photo.

If you are seeing a response from a TE drench then you must have a deficiency of one (or more) of the ingredients, and will be losing performance between drenches, otherwise they wouldn’t be in a place where they improve.

Smarttrace (adult) boluses are in boxes of 50. I gave some to some pure Beltex ewe lambs a couple of weeks ago, down to 30kg, without much bother. They must be about the most difficult breed to safely bolus?

 

[Highland Mule]

If you are seeing a response from a TE drench then you must have a deficiency of one (or more) of the ingredients, and will be losing performance between drenches, otherwise they wouldn’t be in a place where they improve.

Smarttrace (adult) boluses are in boxes of 50. I gave some to some pure Beltex ewe lambs a couple of weeks ago, down to 30kg, without much bother. They must be about the most difficult breed to safely bolus?

That was why I was thinking that they would benefit - would something like this be a decent thing to try for a start?

Buy Agrimin 24/7 Smartrace Lamb Bolus Starter Pack 200 Pack from Fane Valley Stores Agricultural Supplies

A sustained release bolus specifically designed for lambs, containing cobalt, selenium and iodine. Intended for ruminating lambs over 25kg bodyweight. Agri

www.fanevalleystores.com

Would rather put lamb into ewe than the other way, as don't like the idea of choking a wee one - some of the SBF are only mid and low 20s on weight still.

Will go to Harbro, but would be good to know what I'm looking for.

Thanks

 

[JohnGalway]

I'm going back to doing Animax twice a year. Maybe 3 years ago I switched to a supposedly 12 month bolus but I'm pinning some poor thrift on it not being up to the job. I have made a lot of other changes mind so I may be blaming it in error, I just have a feeling

Also debating firing some copper bolus into *some* ewes. I have a small tub of them but not had the nerve to use them yet.

 

[Al R]

Just putting this here for a size comparison...........
.

TOP Agrimin 24/7 (Didn't have one left but they're about the same size as that bit of 12 bore cartridge.)

MIDDLE Agrimin lamb boluses (you give them 2 each)

BOTTOM ACT (similar analysis to Agrimin 24/7)

the middle and bottom look just like mayo, mayo lamb bolus is 1 of those middle ones, mayo ewe Bolus is the same as the bottom one which has 2 lamb boluses inside.
Wynnstay own brand is exactly the same, what do the ACT and Agrimin boxes look like?

I can Bolus with the mayo ewe Bolus as quick as someone dosing